1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to isotope separation processes and more particularly to separation processes based upon selective isotopic excitation.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Selected isotopic species are useful for many purposes including medical apparatus and treatment, tracer studies of chemical and biological processes, and as target materials and fuels for nuclear reactor application. Perhaps the largest present utilization is for nuclear reactors, which typically require, for example, fuel enriched in uranium-235.
The system most widely used today for isotopic separation is gaseous diffusion through a porous barrier, which requires a large, complex, and costly cascading network. More recently systems are being considered based upon technologies such as distillation and photo-ionization in the presence of magnetic and electric fields. Exemplary of the latter are U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,519 in the name of R. H. Levy et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,087 in the name of J. Robieux et al.
While such processes offer much promise for increasing the efficiency of isotopic separation processes, it is desirable to provide further alternatives, particularly with a view toward practical application.